Various agents for cleaning, sanitizing, and deodorizing surfaces of bathroom appliances such as toilets are known and have been widely available to consumers in the form of solids, pastes, gels, powders and liquids. Liquid formulations commonly delivered in squeeze bottles allow for periodic cleaning of the appliance, but require a consumer to reapply the sanitary agent each time the appliance is to be cleaned. Other products that demand less time by the consumer allow for automatic or continuous cleaning of the appliance. For example, automatic or continuous cleaning is afforded by providing sanitary agents in the form of solid blocks or by suspending the sanitary agent in baskets that hang from the appliance. The disadvantage of such modes of delivery is that to place the block or basket, the consumer is required to directly handle the sanitary agent or to directly contact an un-hygienic surface of the appliance.
Other agents such as self-adhesive materials adhere to substrates such as surfaces of bathroom appliances. For example, self-adhesive sanitary agents allow for direct application of the sanitary agent to a surface, and thus provide automatic or continuous cleaning of an appliance while overcoming the drawbacks of previous forms. Dispensers for self-adhesive materials and agents are cumbersome mechanical apparatus that contain an inventory of agent that can be delivered in a series of controlled unitized doses. The dispenser and initial inventory of agent represent an upfront investment for the consumer. Additionally, such dispensers can be difficult to properly operate and can waste product by leaving behind residual agent inventory after the device is used. Accordingly, there is a need for an applicator for the delivery of smaller or single doses of self-adhesive agents, that is easy to use and avoids the problems of more sophisticated complex multiple dose dispensers.